Dear all,

thanks a lot for reading and reviewing this story, and for following each chapter with such enthusiasm. I enjoyed writing the story for your reading pleasure. Well, it ends here – there’s nothing more to add to it. I have included scenes which I left out since I thought that they were too sappy. Stay tuned in for my next story, The Red Couch Clan. More information is available on my profile page (at the bottom). And now, here are the scenes:

scene 1 (good luck charm)

My heart nearly missed a beat when I answered the brisk knocking on my door; I knew who was knocking like that. I trembled inwardly when Chandra stepped inside my office. She was wearing a dark-blue blouse, matching jeans and black high-heeled sandals. Two years had passed since she had signed up for my seminar in her third year. Now, she was twenty-five, a college graduate, her fine-featured delicate face and voluptuously rounded figure emphasising the bloom of her womanhood; but all that was dimmed by her extraordinary eyes. What eyes! Eloquent, powerful and infinitely deep. In her case, they truly mirrored the strength of her soul. I felt a lump in my throat as I looked at her. During the ensuing discussion, she imprisoned me with those fiery eyes and her quick words; she refused to be put off by my curtness and soon got a confession out of me. When she, in turn, declared her love for me, I knew that my patience and hope had not been in vain. I had waited for her to graduate, to be “eligible” for me, hoping against hope that I had a chance, clutching at straws, willing to trust uncertainty, and behaving like an idiot in general. And she loved me back!

We shared a sweet timid kiss and followed it up with another kiss, passionate and long.

I showed her my locket.

“Do you know what’s inside?” I asked her.

“No.” She looked at me, intrigued.

I unsnapped it and drew out her hair, straightening it out.

“When I said bye to you, there was a hair clinging to your arm, remember?”

“And…you removed it…but you didn’t throw it out?”

“No, I put it in here and it travelled with me to the States in this locket, and I wore it around my neck.”

“You carried my hair with you?”

“Yes. I wore it all the time, and I still do. It gave me hope, and when I felt lonely, solace. You don’t think I’m kind of psycho, do you?”

She put her arms around me and kissed my forehead.

“Thank you for taking me along to the States without my noticing it, that was really psycho of you,” she said roguishly, looking right into my face, smiling.

“Not only the States. Simply…everywhere.”

“I also have a locket at home, a gold one like yours, but heart-shaped. May I please have a hair?” She reached up and ran her fingers through my hair.

“Certainly. Take your pick.”

She burst out laughing.

“No, you choose for me.”

Grinning, I plucked out a hair and gave it to her.

“This will be my good-luck charm,” she said solemnly.

scene 2 (breaking the good news to Sarah)

“Sarah,” I said solemnly.

She scanned me warily.

“Yes?”

“I have to tell you something.”

“Aha. Did you and Chandra talk?”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“Uhm…” I chewed my lip and stared at the floor.

“Bri?” She looked anxious.

I burst out laughing.

Sarah shook her head.

“What?” she asked, smiling.

“ItoldChandrathatIloveherandshetoldmethatshelovesmeback.”

“So you’re a couple?” Sarah said slowly, as she separated the words which I had just poured out at roughly the speed of lightning.

“Yes.”

Sarah beamed and hugged me.

“At last!” she exclaimed triumphantly.

“You don’t know how determined she was in my office. She made me melt with her stare and words.”

“I wish I had seen that!”

“Yeah, she refused to leave me until I had told her why I was being so cold to her. She was absolutely adamant. She has a strong personality.”

“I always knew that you would choose a girl with character.”

I smiled.

“I can’t believe my luck, Sarah.”

“Come on, believe it.”

scene 3 (girlfriends)

“Of course you may ask. You have a right to know about my past relationships. My first girlfriend and I discovered that we had less in common than we had thought. We were always quarrelling about stuff. We irritated each other all the time, and when I say all the time, then I mean all the time. Even on the phone we’d snipe at each other. So we both decided to quit. With Sarah it was different again. It was infatuation. It was such a heady feeling. But then I didn’t like it, though. I mean…It was a nice time, but it was too superficial for me. Only physical ‘love’ is not my cup of tea. I’m a hopeless romantic. Sarah is not like that. She is a very nice person, and a great friend, but she’s not very romantic.”

scene 4 (sex is scary)

“Oh, and I’ve always been rather choosy about men, anyway,” I said.

“Choosy Chandra, eh?”

I tweaked his ear.

He tweaked me back.

“I’ve seen people look at you. But you look elsewhere.”

“I’m looking at you now.”

“Thank goodness. Come here to me, princess.”

I sidled up to him and he cupped my face.

“I was awful to look at when I was a teenager,” I added.

“I refuse to believe that.”

“But it was so.”

“If I’d known you back then, I would have looked at you just the same.”

“I doubt very much.”

“But I have no doubts.”

“I was covered with pimples, my figure was disproportionate and-”

“-and you must have been the sweetest and nicest girl around for miles,” Brian interrupted me and silenced me with a passionate kiss and followed it up with another one. Our hands began to wander. I slid mine down to his lap, feeling the hardness and the eagerness of his arousal. I was surprised and also extremely happy that I could make a man feel such desire for me. Brian sucked in his breath, closing his eyes for a moment. I had never touched a man so intimately before. Noticing my shyness, he guided my hand a little; and with his free hand and eager kisses, he did things to me which made me shiver from head to foot; the rest came on its own as I let go of my timidity and yielded more spontaneously to my inclinations. His breathing hitched when he reached his climax. He gasped, his body tensioning; he collapsed against me; then he proceeded to give me what I had just given him.

Sex was something new for me. I was discovering a lot about myself and about Brian.

Brian was very sweet about my timidity. He showed me how to render the exploration of each other’s bodies enjoyable.

I was rather tentative about making love. How could he possibly fit inside me? Would it hurt a lot? How to talk about contraception and making love? No doubt that many people would have laughed hysterically at my questions; no doubt that tons of people had experimented around already as teenagers. I had had sex education – at home and at school; but hearing about it was one thing, and being active oneself another. There was one sure way to answer my questions, and that was to talk to Brian about it. Which I accordingly did – with much blushing on my part. Brian, however, did not seem to find my ponderings at all absurd, although he did grin about the “fitting” problem. On the contrary: he was pleased. We talked a great deal; we went together to the pharmacy to shop for contraception.

We were also adamant that we should not rush.

“Sex…It’s kind of scary,” I told him.

He smiled.

“That’s one aspect. There are tons of other aspects,” he observed. “Its manifestations, its diversity…There’s no way you can compile all those on a list. We can discover only a few domains of sex.”

“I’m looking forward to that,” I said.

He quirked his eyebrows at me, and I laughed.

“I’m also looking forward.”

scene 5 (doing it)

As he unwrapped me, our gazes met repeatedly, and suddenly, I knew that I wanted him tonight.

“I want to make love to you,” I informed him abruptly.

Brian smiled.

“You want to make love to me?”

“Yes.”

My cheeks became hot.

Brian kissed them.

“Are you sure?”

“I am. But if you don’t want to-”

“I want to. By all means.”

He planted a burning kiss on my lips and unwrapped the rest of my sari. He folded the cloth and placed it neatly on a chair, then focused upon removing my other clothes. I undressed him eagerly and when we both stood facing each other with nothing on, he gazed at me for a long time, his hands on my waist. He shook his head slowly.

“I love you so much, princess, and I would tell myself constantly that it was a hopeless case, that I had no chance…I never thought that you would love me back, that…” he broke off and lifted me up.

I saw tears in his eyes as he carried me to his bed; I could not prevent my own tears from welling up.

“Well, now you know that you we were both wrong about the hopeless case,” I said, my voice faltering.

“Chandra, are we going to cry while we make love?” he murmured to me. I immediately stopped sniffing and began to laugh instead. He laughed too and kissed me. I raised my hand and patted his cheek; it was moist. He smiled down at me.

When we were ready, he opened the little packet containing our protection.

“If I hurt you, then tell me.”

“I will.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise,” I said, cupping his cheek. He put aside the empty packet.

“Hold my hand,” he told me gently, offering me his hand. I took it. He pressed his lips against my forehead.

Chandra’s breathing slowed down as she relaxed in my arms. Her cheeks were still flushed. Her lips were curved in a smile. Her fingers travelled along my inner arm. I caressed her face. The jewellery in her nose caught the light, making the gem sparkle with the same intensity as our passion.

It was the kind of love I had always wanted to make, joining my soul with my sweetheart’s soul, our bodies mediums of love. I got out of bed and scooped her up in my arms. She looked straight into my eyes as I carried her slowly to the bedroom, the smile never leaving her lips. I set her down and cuddled her. She buried her head in the hollow of my neck, her hair flowing down her back. I wanted to stay like this for hours, holding her.

In the shower, I took her hands in mine.

“Did you feel any pain?” I asked.

She pressed my hands against her cheeks.

“No. I felt just a slight pinching, that was all. There was very little blood on the towel.”

We had put a towel on the bed so that she would be comfortable and also to prevent blood from staining the sheets.

“I knew that you would be very gentle to me. Holding your hand in the beginning gave me such a good feeling.”

I was glad that she was talking to me so openly about such an intimate topic.

I kissed her forehead. I suddenly recalled one of my ex-fellow-student’s words about relationships.

“Sure. At first you’re in love. You spend a great time snogging and fucking. It’s harmony and sappy looks at first. That fizzles out. And afterwards you quarrel all the time. Suddenly you realise how many defects the other has got. There’s no more romantic kissing and great fucking. Just fights and bad vibes. Relationships are a headache.”

I looked at Chandra and could not imagine quarrelling all the time with her or sleeping with her without the close bond we shared. Of course we were at the beginning of our relationship. We were exhilarated and newly in love. We would calm down. But if we loved each other sincerely, why would things peter out? Didn’t all couples go through ups and downs? Or was it too simple?

I picked up the shampoo, worked up a foaming lather and massaged it into Chandra’s

hair.

“Are you happy?” I asked her. She beamed at me.

“Of course I’m happy. How can I not be happy? And you? Are you happy?”

“Yes, very. I love you, Chandra.”

“I love you too, Brian.”

Waking up with her was something just as wonderful. When I opened my eyes in the morning, she was lying next to me, her body touching mine, her head supported on one hand as she studied me.

“Good morning, prince, I woke up only five minutes ago,” she whispered.

“Good morning, princess,” I replied, opening my arms. She snuggled into my embrace and we lay like that for a few minutes, dozing.

I recalled that special act we had shared, only a few hours old. I smiled, thinking of how she had informed me that she wanted to make love to me. She could be timid, but she had definitely come straight to the point in this case, and she had done so with the seriousness of a judge announcing the verdict.

scene 6 (going out for dinner)

She was barefoot, and her silver anklets tinkled with her very step. The summer sun had deepened the lovely colour of her mahogany skin and given her black hair an auburn sheen. When she saw me correcting the assignments, she bent to remove her anklets in case their jingling distracted me.

“Please don’t remove them,” I said to her. “I love to hear you walk around.”

She smiled, tripped lightly towards me, kissed my forehead and vanished into her room, where her own work was clamouring for attention.

Later, she joined me; I was finished, and I made her sit down on my lap.

“Are you sure you’re over?” she inquired.

“Yep.”

“Hundred percent?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Dinner?”

“Yeah, dinner.”

At my enthusiastic request, Chandra chose the yellow sari which she had worn during class once. At one point, I heard a muffled oath explode from our bedroom as she struggled with the cloth.

“Do you need any help?” I called.

“No, no, I’m fine!”

She emerged after twenty minutes, grinning.

“Wrapping a sari requires a certain technique.”

“So does taking it off.” I quirked an eyebrow at her.

“You can practise your taking-off technique when we come back.”

I laughed and hugged her. “You’re so beautiful.”

“So are you.”

“Are men beautiful?”

“Do you prefer handsome?”

“I don’t care as long as it comes from your lips.”

She smiled at me.

I kissed her soft cheek and handed her her bag. Outside, she hooked her arm through mine. I could not stop darting little glances at her.

A mosquito tried to sit on me and she swatted it away.

“Nasty beastie,” she commented.

“Who? Me?” I asked in mock astonishment.

She studied me gravely.

“You know, now that I think of it…You are a nasty beastie…Thanks for reminding me of that fact.”

She was teasing me in her naughty way.

“So if the nasty beastie asked you most humbly for a kiss, you would not deign to give it to him, would you?”

She stopped, put her arms around my neck and kissed me fondly.

“You’re not the nasty beastie, you’re my nasty beastie.”

“Aha.”

She smiled at me, her eyelashes throwing fine thread-like shadows on the delicate slopes of her cheeks.

“I love you, Brian.”

“I love you, Chandra.”

I hugged her, then took her hand in mine and strolled towards the brightly lit restaurant. Admiring glances rippled around Chandra as we entered and were led to our table. An adolescent boy, eating with his parents, could hardly take his eyes off her.

Chandra was becoming used to being admired, but her endearing display of modesty verging on embarrassment was part of her nature, and rendered her all the more charming.

A few days later, she asked me a question. I stared at her, speechless, then rising a little so that our faces were on the same level, I most enthusiastically answered the question in the affirmative and kissed her with zeal. Chandra laughed and clung to me.

“You know, I wanted to ask you first,” I confessed to her, “but you were quicker.”

scene 7 (the culprits are revealed)

“So, what’s up, Chandra? What are you doing?”

“Lyn, I am engaged.”

“I know you’re engaged. You’re always engaged, knee-deep in your work, and it’s typical of you to use ‘engaged’ instead of ‘busy’, you’re always going all literature on me and-”

“No, no, no! I am engaged to be married!”

“You are going to marry Brian? Ha! I was right from the very start! Congratulations, Chandra!” he bellowed triumphantly. I held the receiver away from my smarting ear.

“Who proposed?”

“I did. I was faster than he was.”

“He must have been delighted.”

“He was. In fact, he still is. He’s walking around the place with a constant smile upon his face.”

“I’m not surprised. He’s extraordinarily lucky, you know.”

I blushed on the phone.

“I’m so happy for you, Chandra. I am especially relieved that his behaviour towards coffee machines is not the same towards you...Remember?”

“Lyndon!”

“Are you going to tell him who did it?”

“That’s a very good idea. Thanks for reminding me, Lyn.”

“You’re kidding, aren’t you?” There was a twinge of alarm in his voice.

“No, I’m quite serious, actually.”

“You’d compromise yourself too.”

“I know, but it was your idea to clog up the coffee-machine. I simply, er, gave you the green light. However, I’ll take credit for the stink bombs, even though you activated one of them.”

We chatted on a little more before hanging up. I turned to walk out but found my way barred by Brian. He had just had a shower; his hair was moist and he was wearing his trademark tight jeans. He looked sexy. But the expression in his eyes was far from seductive.

“I could not help overhearing that bit about the coffee-machine and the stink bombs,” he said blandly.

I didn’t say anything. I had never seen Brian so put out before.

“So Lyndon and you were the culprits.”

“Er…Yes.”

“Chandra Shaw, you ought to be ashamed of yourself! And Lyndon too!”

“I know.”

“Well, it was very silly indeed. You do realise that it costs money to call the repairman, don’t you? And a lot of time was wasted to switch buildings during the stink bomb episode!”

I actually hung my head in shame.

“I never realised how immature you are. You did very stupid things indeed, both of you. I am really cross with you now.” And with that, he turned on his heel and strode off.

Brian was very cool to me during the rest of the day.

“Such childishness!” he muttered at one point.

“One would think that it was your coffee machine,” I complained.

He eyed me frigidly, not deigning to answer.

“Come, Brian, please don’t be mad at me,” I cooed, pressing my cheek against his.

“Chandra, I’m watching figure skating, okay?” He leant away from me.

“You’re really mad at me.”

“Of course I am.”

“It was just meant to be fun.”

“Fun at all our expense. How amusing.”

“Haven’t you ever played pranks before? Aren’t pranks always at someone’s expense?”

“Pulling off such stupid pranks at your age is something to be ashamed of,” Brian said.

“Brian, I’m sorry. I really am. It was horribly childish.”

He turned off the television, got up and went into the library, shutting the door behind him.

“Fine! Sulk, then!” I called indignantly and received no answer.

It was our first big quarrel, and I sat down on the sofa feeling truly bothered and restless. When the phone rang. I didn’t want to answer it, but I got up and went over. Lyndon’s number flashed up on the display. The ringing broke off abruptly. Brian had picked up the other phone. I rushed into the library. Brian wasted no time; he immediately closed in for the attack. I stayed where I was.

“Aha. So you and she decided to have fun at our expense,” Brian stated, giving me a glacial look. He turned on the loudspeaker so I could hear what Lyn was saying. Lyn was just finishing his sentence.

“Oh my, are you trying to screen your accomplice?” Brian asked him.

“One would think we had committed a crime! Take it easy, Brian! We did that so long ago, too.”

“I don’t care how long ago it was.”

“Brian!” I said, trying to save the situation.

“Chandra? Did you let out your anger on her? She sounds upset,” Lyndon said sharply. Lyndon was very protective about me, just like I was protective about him.

Brian flushed guiltily.

“Yes. I…I did.”

“Lyndon, he has hardly spoken to me the whole day!” I said loudly. Brian shot me a mortified look.

“What?! Now who is more childish?” Lyndon said snidely. “How can you treat Chandra like that? Does she always have to step on eggshells when she talks to you? Where is your sense of humour?”

Brian suddenly smiled. He held out his free hand, and I took it.

“Yeah, well, I’m a bit sensitive sometimes.”

“A bit? That’s one hell of an understatement,” Lyn observed acidly.

“Still, you were childish.”

“We’re holding hands now,” I announced hastily.

Brian laughed, sharing the receiver with me.

“Ahhh, that’s much better,” Lyndon said. “Right, is the problem solved?”

“Yes.”

“I phoned up to invite you two for my birthday party. I can assure you that there will be no stink bombs around.”

We accepted Lyn’s invitation with great enthusiasm. Lyn ended the conversation by admonishing Brian again and telling him to behave himself. Brian meekly accepted the tongue-lashing and hung up with red ears. He turned towards me.

“I’m sorry for not talking to you the whole day, Chandra.”

“Yes, you ignored me thoroughly today. That’s what I call a job well done,” I scolded him, pressing a tight fist against his chest.

Brian was looking tremendously abashed by now. He pecked me on the mouth, rubbed his cheek against mine, uncurled my fingers and held me close to him.

I relented and laughed.

“I’m also sorry. It was awfully silly of us to play pranks.”

He smiled.

“No, it’s good to know that there are people with a sense of humour…even though Lyn and you expressed your sense of humour in a rather drastic way.”

He hugged me and drew back a little, placing his hand underneath my chin.

“So you’re still willing to marry me?” I asked.

“Chandra!” he exclaimed reproachfully, kissing me. I ran my fingers through his hair. Our kisses became heated and heavy. I pushed my hips against his, feeling his arousal.

“Make love to me, here and now,” I whispered to him.

He responded by squeezing my thigh and suckling at my neck. I went backwards towards his desk, pulling him along with me. I bumped against the table, and some objects fell onto the floor with a clatter. We didn’t care. I unbuttoned Brian’s jeans. He fondled my curves, then pushed up my skirt and drew down my panties. I stepped out of them.

It was a deliciously messy episode. The two of us and the table were in a state of appalling disorder when it was over. At least, we thought it was over. We were settling ourselves when we looked at each other and passion overwhelmed us anew.

We spent the rest of the evening in the bedroom. After that, we both were completely exhausted. The sheets were tangled around us.

Brian caressed my back.

“That was quite an evening, princess.”

“It was wonderful, prince.”

I rubbed my head against his chest.

“You know, maybe we should quarrel more often,” I added pensively.

Brian laughed heartily, tweaking my nose affectionately.

“Yeah, maybe we should. Let’s cool off in the shower.”

I kissed him chastely on the mouth, jumped out of bed and held out my hands. He grasped them; but instead of getting out of bed, he pulled me on top of him. Only after he had covered my face with kisses did he accompany me to the bathroom, making me laugh as he rubbed his cheek against my neck – I was quite tickly.

scene 8 (Chandra's and Brian's wedding)

I nearly forgot to breathe. Chandra was wearing a beautiful Indian cream-gold dress and a matching embroidered blouse. A mang tika adorned the middle parting in her hair while its bejewelled pendant caressed her forehead. There was a small gold cross around her neck. Her eyes and her smile were radiant. Her father looked very proud as he led her to me.